Signal-base for base-ball fields.



S. H. lWILLS. SB POR BASE BAL IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII OV.19.1912. 1,066,773.Patented July 8,1913.

nnrrn sfr-aras Parnu ermee.,

STEPHEN H. WILLS, 0F LE GRAND, CALIFORNIA.

SIGNAL-BASE FOR BASE-BALL FIELDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

latcntcdJ uly 8, 1913.

f Application ledllovemberllm. Y'Seriali N 02,732,280.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I,"S'rnrHnNHJWILLS, a citizen of the United States,-residing at Le Grand,in the county of Merced, State of California,vhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal-Bases .forBase-l3all Fields; and I do declare the following to be a clear, full,and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of referencemarked thereon,

l which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in a baseball playing apparatusand particularly to a base which will be so constructed as to give analarm or signal 4when a runner reaches and touches the base, thusavoidingr the continual dispute which non7 commonly takes place betweenthe runner and the umpire and other members of the team as to whether ornot the runner reached the base before the baseman caught the ball, etc.My improved base is designed to give an audible signal or visible signevery time the runner touches the base and this alarm or signal may beof any desired type and may be located on the field in order that theplayers and spectators as well, may be apprised that the base has beenreached by the runner. l

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposesfor which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of the parts as will fully appear by a perusal of thefollowing specification and claims.

On the drawings similar characters of ret'- erence indicatecorresponding parts the several views. v

Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly broken out, showing the completebase. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on a line X-*X of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the numeral l designates the ground space and in constructingmy improved base l provide a plate 2 set in flush with the ground andmounted on this I provide a top plate 3. A

artof such top plate 3, namely 4, is formed independently and is hingedto the plate 8 as at 5 and is held normally slightly upward onlitsedgeaway from the plate 2 by means of a plurality-of suitable springs(3.

0n the-edge ot the member 2 is a contact Yplate 7 and on the raised edgeof the member 4 is a corresponding lcontactqplatc 8 adapted to engagethe plate 7 when the plate 4 is moved on its hinge toward the plate Q, Awire 9 connects the plate 7 Vwith a sourciof electrical energy 10 andthence with a bell or other signal or indicator ll and a Wire 12 `thenconnects the member ll with the plate 8.

In practice when a runner reaches the base he strikes the plate 4l whichmoves it downward causing the plates 8 and 7 to contact with each othercompleting a circuit. through the member 8, member 7, wire 9, source ofelectrical energy 10, member 1l and wire 12, this sounding an alarm orgiving an indication that the runner hasreached the base.

The relative sizes of the plates 3 and t are such as to permit thebaseman plenty of room to move around on the base plate 3 withoutinterferincr with the plate fl.

The base is suita 1y upholstered by means ofany suitable upholsteringmaterial 13 disposed over the members 3 and l My improved base may beused t'or any of the bases in the field, but may be found especiallyadaptable for first base over which most of the disputes arise.

As before mentioned any suitable bell 'indicator or alarm may be used asit'ound dcsirable and the same may b positioned at such points as may bemost i dvantageous.

The members 7 and 8 are suitably -insulated from the members 2 and 4respectively by means of suit-able insulation material 7 and Srespectively.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfils the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

lVhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit. ofthe invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a base plate and a topplate, a hinged. member on Said top plate, an indi- Cat-ing-YmeanS, andmeans operatively e0n' nected with said hinged member to operate' saidindicating means 'When said hinged member is moved, as described. t

2. A. device of the character described comprising a plate, anotherplate mounted on said first named plate, a hinged member on said secondnamed plate, means normally holding the end of said hinged member spacedfrom said iirst named plate, an indicating means, a source `ofelectrical energy connected with said indicating means and said firstnamed plate, a Wire connected between said indicating means and saidhinged member, and .means ,for contacting said hinged member Withsaidfirst named platev to close the circuit between .said finit-named`platev andsaid source of electrical energy,

In testimony whereof IaiiiX my vsignaturel in presence of two Witnesses.A

A e .STEPHEN H. WILLS. Witnesses:

PERCY AS. WEBSTER, JOSHUA B. WEBSTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

